His cell phone battery is also low and he’s hungry too. Even after staring at the first floor for so long that he could probably walk around with his eyes closed, there was still no response from Lee Cheongryong?

“Haa.”

If he were an ordinary person, he might have noticed the anomaly, but unfortunately, he was of another world’s soul.

“I guess the work is tough because it’s a big guild…”

Kiryeo just feels sorry for the overwork of a man named Lee Cheongryong. However, waiting itself didn’t hold much significance for him.

“Hmm.”

However, a few minutes later, he faced an unavoidable issue. In the distance, on one side of the lobby, the clock was already showing 5 PM.

In South Korea, typical business hours are usually from 9 AM to 6 PM. Soon, regular business hours would come to an end.

‘What should I do? Should I ask the front desk if Lee Cheongryong is available now? No, but if I keep doing that, the employees will only get tired.’

Hmm. Kim Kiryeo, with his arms crossed, pondered for a moment before finally getting up from his seat.

It won’t work. As expected, right now the 1.3 million won is the most important thing.

“Excuse me…”

He couldn’t bear it any longer, so Kim Kiryeo asked the receptionist again if there was still no response from Lee Cheongryong.

“I’m sorry. It seems difficult to meet the chief today.”

But the sentence that came back was shocking. Only then did the desk staff reveal that he couldn’t meet Lee Cheongryong.

“Yes? But earlier, I was told I could wait…”

“He’s too busy with his schedule.”

“Seriously? Not even for a minute? No, even for 30 seconds!”

From 11 am to 5 pm.

To be exact, he waited a whopping 6 hours and 23 minutes, and this is the result.

Kiryeo became flustered and got into a confrontation with the desk staff, but it didn’t give any results. On the contrary, because he raised his voice at this time, he almost got dragged away by the security staff.

“If you keep doing this, I’ll call security!”

“I understand. I’m sorry.”

It can’t be helped. He doesn’t feel like it, but it would be better to leave a trace of returning it to the guild than paying 1.3 million won like this. Kiryeo eventually gave up his stubbornness and decided to submit the item box to the front desk.

But at that moment.

“What’s going on? Why is it so noisy?”

Tak.

A man walked out from behind the employee barricade near the elevator.

He might not recognize him, but Kiryeo could easily spot the other person. Kiryeo had researched articles about Lee Cheongryong several times before coming here.

‘He looks just like the picture?’

As he stood there somewhat dazed, Chief Lee from Neo Sisters approached the front desk and casually said,

“You can’t shout like this in the lobby. Anyway, what’s going on?”

The chief had appeared to personally resolve the situation with the troublesome guest…

“Ah, Chief. That’s.”

Then, one of the desk staff began to explain that this person was an F-Class hunter who had requested to see the manager without any prior appointment.

“Hello, Lee Cheongryong-ssi.”

However, regardless of what the receptionist said, Kiryeo paid no attention and promptly did what he came to do—to hand over the item box.

“Huh? Why are you doing this…”

Even if it is the same industrial product, his product has a tendency to stand out immediately.

The chief immediately recognized that the item box was his, and this is where Kiryeo’s remarks continued.

“He’s here to return the item on behalf of Yoonseung. Hunter Ahn Yoonseung couldn’t make it due to personal circumstances elsewhere.”

He knows Yoonseung.

Dyed hair and sharp eyes.

At first, it wasn’t recognizable, but as time passed, the identity of the other person gradually became apparent.

Chief Lee Cheongryong said with a surprised face.

“H, huh? Perhaps, are you? Are you the one who helped our Yoonseung at the gate the other day?”

Then Kiryeo lightly nodded his head.

“If you’re talking about the golem incident, then you’re right.”

He never thought he would meet so unexpectedly the benefactor who saved the guild’s precious talent, an unknown talent unknown to the public.

“No, I can’t be this happy!”

Lee Cheongryong laughed until his mouth was torn and he quickly shook hands. Originally, he had been curious about the mysterious man Yoonseung mentioned. And to top it off, the man turned out to be a hunter with both skill and personality.

“Oh, I was really grateful for what happened back then. Right. Since you’ve come all this way, would you mind having a drink with me for a moment?”

He smiled and gently asked him. But the answer he got was…

“Yes? Tea? It’s okay. The chief is busy.”

Kim Kiryeo said this in a pure tone without any doubts.

“I heard you don’t even have time to meet me for a moment? So, I’ve been waiting here in the lobby for six hours.”

What…did he say…?

Lee Cheongryong looked at the front desk staff in turn as if asking for an explanation. But they just keep quiet. They could hardly complete sentences properly. At this point, they themselves had already realized that something was wrong.

“Anyway, this means the item box has definitely been returned, right?”

“Yes…”

“Then, you’ve worked hard.”

As Kiryeo was getting ready to leave, Chief Lee Cheongryong urgently called out to him with a perplexed expression on his face.

“W, wait a minute! Uh, excuse me, but let’s just talk for a moment…!”

However, Kiryeo’s answer was decided.

“Uhm, I’m feeling a bit tired, so I think I’ll just head home quickly today. I’m sorry.”

There was no ulterior motive. Kiryeo simply stated his condition and purpose clearly. However, from Lee Cheongryong’s perspective, how obvious must this statement have been?

Tak.

After Kim Kiryeo left the lobby, the front desk was in chaos. Lee Cheongryong learned that the staff here had ignored an F-Class request and left the visitor waiting for nearly six hours.

“Seola-ssi, are you crazy?!”

He shouted furiously, his vision nearly white with anger. Just how remarkable of a hunter must he be? What a disaster, especially considering how poorly it was handled!

“You treated guests who came to the guild like that just because they were F-class?”

“I, it’s not like that, we couldn’t reach Hunter Ahn Yoonseung on the phone…”

“Still, you should have contacted me first! Even if you can’t confirm their friendship, how can you leave someone standing in the lobby like that?”

“I’m so…”

“Is that all you have to say? Do you think just because you work here, you’re also a Hunter? Let me make it clear, even if I fired all of you, it wouldn’t cover the salary of one D-Class Hunter!”

Lee Cheongryong continued to harshly criticize them, even though he had just told them not to raise their voices because it would make noise in the lobby.

“And Seohwan-ssi, a person who was recently promoted still doesn’t know what to do, huh?”

“Chief, that’s…”

“You should have cut off any weird behavior from your juniors right away. Where did you get involved in that! You’re more of a problem in this matter!”

How can they not be afraid when receiving a scolding at the executive level? The employees at the desk turned blue and lowered their heads.

“I apologize.”

“I, I apologize.”

However, there was no sign of the chief’s anger subsiding.

An ambitious strategy team centered around elite Awakened people. A strong man who effortlessly defeated the Golem of the Mutation Gate, even though they were almost annihilated. That was the value embraced by Kim Kiryeo.

“Ah, this is driving me crazy, seriously. Why isn’t Ahn Yoonseung picking up the phone again?”

So, the lobby staff ended up enduring the chief’s scolding until after the end of working hours.

After a long time.

By the time the disciplinary committee decided on them, the case seemed to be slowly coming to an end.

***

“Hey, Yoonseung, you…”

The next day. Neo Sisters Guild’s Chief’s office.

“That hunter you called the benefactor of life… Why didn’t you tell me first that you found it…?”

Lee Cheongryong asks the hunter directly in a sinking voice as he sits him down on the sofa. Then the A-Class hunter sitting across from him thought to himself.

It’s coming. Still, it wasn’t that surprising. Actually, this was something that would happen someday.

“That matter was settled privately, and besides, even if we had mentioned our connection to the guild, it wouldn’t have made any difference.”

After taking a deep breath, Ahn Yoonseung calmly began to explain.

“He really hates being tied down.”

Strangely, Kim Kiryeo is a hunter who hates being part of an organization like a guild, so the scouting would have failed anyway even if he had informed him in advance. Chief Lee Cheongryong heard those words and quietly lowered his head.

‘That’s right.’ f𝗿e𝗲𝘄𝗲bn𝐨𝚟𝚎l.com

He already received the related records this morning.

Surprisingly, the Neo Sisters had already tried to recruit that F-Class hunter in the past. And not just as any member, but specifically to join their appraiser support team!

‘I checked and found out that Kim Ki-ryeo is still an independent!’

Lee Cheongryong bit his lower lip.

“However, Chief… I heard something shocking. Yesterday, a staff member apparently kept Hyung-nim waiting in the lobby for six hours. Is this true?”

“….”

“If it is, honestly, hasn’t the guild recruitment completely gone downhill…?”

Then, fresh blood seeped out from Lee Cheongryong’s lips. His expression alone seemed as if blood would soon flow from his eyes as well.

‘Ugh, ugh! Who would have thought that such an incredible hunter would disguise himself as an F-Class!

What kind of absurdity is this because of one employee’s rudeness?

Lee Cheongryong now had a million thoughts.

‘Could it be that this person pretended to be F-Class on purpose to see how our staff would react?’

But he can’t just back down like this.

A force that overwhelms a high-class golem.

An appraisal skill that penetrates the maze of the Magic Tower.

No affiliation.

That blonde man was truly the perfect talent that he had only dreamed of.

“We can never give up.”

Neo Sisters’ official number has already been blocked. In that case, he can use his personal cell phone.

“Chief, what are you doing?”

“You stay quiet. You punk!”

Chief Lee Cheongryong didn’t give up the slightest hope and tried to contact the F-Class hunter.

Drrrt, drrrt…

And in the midst of all this, one fortunate thing was that Kim Kiryeo was the type to first receive calls from numbers he had never seen before.

Click.

Then the call was connected.

– Hello?

“Ah, Hunter Kim Kiryeo! Hello!”

Lee Cheongryong immediately began to apologize. By offering to arrange a meeting as a form of compensation for yesterday’s incident, he intended to naturally steer the conversation in a positive direction.

– Oh my, Kiryeo-ssi. Who are you talking to right now? Could it be that person from Neo?

But, huh? After a moment, a woman’s voice flowed through the speaker.

– Can you switch with me for a moment!

– Yes?

– No, I know that person well~ I just happened to have something to tell him.

And Lee Cheongryong already knows whose messy laughter it belongs to.

– Hello? Chief Lee?

Soon, thick veins appeared on the Chief’s forehead.

– It’s a pity, but Kiryo is on a private date with me. So he’s a bit busy right now.

“You…”

– Moreover, if someone has made a big mistake, wouldn’t it be better to quietly reflect on it rather than make an unnecessary fuss about it…

Indeed, the one who took over the call was none other than the leader of the Korean Magic Tower Guild.

– If you understand, I will hang up. Good afternoon~

With Esther’s mockery that ended the call, Chief Lee Cheongryong stared at the blank screen of his phone for a moment before slamming his fist onto the desk.

Thud!

“Aaaahhh! How come that Hunter!”

It was to the point where he needed blood pressure medication.